A letter to my fellow queers. You are powerful.

Note: I use the word “queer” as a way to include everyone within the GLBTIPQA community.

My fellow queers,

I just need to let you know that you are amazing.

Despite the rampant homophobia, biphobia, transphobia and every other phobia, hate crimes, institutionalised government sanctioned discrimination, trails and tribulations you and I face – we are strong.

We are powerful.

For over 40 years since the Stonewall Riots, we have faced adversity head-on. We have come out of the closet despite all means to erase us and we continue to be proud of who we are. That is amazing.

Over the last 40 years since first demanding on a worldwide scale that we be treated with respect, we have faced discrimination of all kinds. From the cisgendered heterosexual community and from each other and yet we continue to come out and we continue to live out in the open, we continue to fight to be ourselves and we won’t back down.

And for those who have yet to come out – you’re amazing as well. We support you. Despite the fear of coming out in an unsafe place, you are still you. You will always be you, please do not deny yourself who you are, even if you can only be you on the inside.

To my fellow queers who display homophobic/biphobia/transphobic and other phobic behaviour towards the queer community, this I say to you:

Grow up.

Simple. If you don’t like butch lesbians or effeminate gay men simply because they are butch lesbians or effeminate gay men. If you feel uncomfortable with trans people or bisexuals or anyone else because they are trans or bi or however they identify, it’s your responsibility as an adult to own your emotions towards those people and work on them. It is not the responsibility of the person you do not like, to hide themselves in a closet because you cannot handle your feelings about them.

If you do not like somebody purely based on the way they identify, you do not have the right to ask them to render themselves invisible for your comfort. You have the right to feel comfortable but you do not have the right to attempt to render a person or community invisible in order to do so. Be mature and remove yourself from an uncomfortable situation. If the person you dislike is not harassing, abusing or harming you in anyway – they have as much right to be in the location they are occupying as you do.

For example: If you are uncomfortable with trans people, don’t intentionally go to a trans friendly nightclub. That is just stupid.

If you want more than one plate on the buffet line of privilege that heterosexual people have, you need to start leading by example. You need to give more than one plate on the buffet line of privilege that cisgendered people get. We cannot move forward as a community and demand equality when we are too busy oppressing and bullying our own.

Despite the hypocrisy that some of the members of the queer community display, each and every queer person for being out and proud of their sexuality or gender identity is amazing. Even if their fellow queers do not agree.

By continuing to be you, you are the middle finger to the people who try to oppress you.

If you like some of the things I say – feel free to add me to your RSS feed, comment or email me: rayne@insufferableintolerance.com. I now have a facebook page! Feel free to like my page by clicking here!